AFFORDABLE SEPTIC TANK INSTALLATION IN Lutz, FL

What Is the Process for Septic Tank Installation in Lutz?

The first step in installing your septic tank in Lutz is to know your land. We’ll take soil samples for analysis, survey the layout and grade of your land, and identify the flow of your drinking water to your home. Once we know all that, we can leverage that information to engineer a system perfectly customized for your land. Everything will need to be planned out in detail so that we can include a copy of our plans and designs with a septic tank permit application.

Once the permit’s ready and it’s time to start working, that’s when the real fun begins. We’ll begin excavation and install your tank relatively near to your home, but on the opposite side that your drinking water flows into your house from. We’ll need to plan out a drain field and then excavate trenches so that wastewater can flow from the tank to the drain field, where it will be redistributed into groundwater.

Once all the new infrastructure is in place, we can start making connections and getting your new septic tank working. Before we backfill, we will do a detailed analysis to ensure that everything during the installation went exactly according to our original plan. Any slight misstep in placement or angle might affect the flow of water through your septic system, so we must ensure everything is functioning properly before we bury the tank. Before we fill everything in, we will likely have to add some gravel to your drain field. This will help aerate it and ensure that moist sands in the soil can’t form a hard pack that traps wastewater on the surface. The gravel’s large particles will help space out your soil and leave plenty of gaps for water to trickle into the soil.

How Does Permitting Work for Installing Septic Tanks in Lutz?

Here in Lutz, permit applications are directed to the Florida Department of Health. Applications will require a lot of information, such as a site evaluation, designs and plans, a history of the property, and soil analysis results. They take this permitting process very seriously, and any incomplete information or improperly filled out forms could result in significant delays with permit issuance.

The requirements for the permit process around here may seem a little overwhelming, but we’re pretty familiar with these processes and can walk you through them easily. It’s for the best that septic work is stringently regulated. Wastewater can be a serious issue if not properly disposed of and managed. Poorly designed and planned septic systems aren’t just bad news for the home they’re attached to. Waste that is not properly broken down in a septic tank escaping the system could be an ecological disaster for the entire surrounding area, potentially contaminating groundwater and spreading harmful sicknesses. With so much hinging on your septic tank, doing things methodically and by the book is the best way to go.

How Much Does Septic Tank Installation Usually Cost in Lutz?

Here in Lutz, septic tank installation can be pretty competitively priced compared to some other nearby areas. It’s worth noting, however, that septic tank installations have a wide range of potential costs based on several different factors. Easy installations on ideal land might cost $1,400 for an installation whereas other septic tank installations may cost upwards of $10,000. The average cost is around $6,400.

Amount of Wastewater

How much wastewater your home can potentially produce will determine the size of the septic tank you need. This can be one of the key indicators of the cost of an installation since a larger septic tank means more cost for materials, excavating, and labor to install. The size you need to support your wastewater disposal system will be based on the total number of bedrooms and bathrooms in your house, and also if you have any fixtures or features that produce large amounts of wastewater, like a pool, spa, or sauna. 

It’s important to ensure that your home has adequate space in the septic tank to support its wastewater production. Even if your house is a bit of an empty nest right now, the life of your septic tank is ideally 50 or more years. Who knows what the future will bring, but you need to keep your home’s infrastructure strong and able to support your house in every way it needs.

Your Land

Many of the features of your property will also affect the cost of your septic tank installation. We’ve already discussed soil analysis as part of the planning process for septic tank installation, and now is when that comes into play. The drainage properties of your soil will indicate how large your drain field needs to be to efficiently filter wastewater back into ground sources. If your soil commonly has permeability issues, which are pretty normal in our Florida sands, then a wider drain field will be necessary so that wastewater flowing out of your septic tank does not overwhelm any individual patch of earth. A larger drain field will mean more plumbing infrastructure and more excavation, which will affect the cost of your installation.

The actual shape and grade of the terrain on your land will also come into play when determining cost. Conventional septic systems are designed so that a gentle slope causes gravity to encourage a gradual flow of wastewater from your septic tank to your drain field. During this process, wastewater must always flow away from your source of drinking water to prevent any possibility of contamination. Depending on the layout of your property, this may be easy to accomplish or a little more difficult. For homes where this is a serious challenge, pumps can be incorporated to maintain the flow of your septic tank. Systems where the flow is propelled by pumps still work great, but incorporate an electrical element into your septic tank, which will increase the upfront cost as well as raising your monthly energy bill.

New Septic System or Tank Replacement

We’ve done septic tank installations that were for systems built from scratch for new construction, and we’ve also done plenty of installs that are just a replacement for an aging or dilapidated tank. We’re comfortable with either, but each situation poses unique challenges that might affect the cost of your septic tank installation.

For entirely new septic systems, there’s a lot of infrastructure that needs to be engineered and installed beyond just the tank. There will be plumbing between the house and the tank as well as leading from the tank to the drain field where wastewater will be reintroduced to the soil. This can get quite extensive, as drain fields are usually parallel rows of perforated pipes spread out across an area. An entirely new septic system guarantees that you get a system optimized for your new tank from the start, but logistically, it’s a much larger undertaking that could increase the cost.

For replacements of old tanks, we can often use a lot of the old infrastructure from the existing septic system. This plumbing ages too, though, and if the tank is old, much of the plumbing in your system is likely ready to be replaced. Depending on the shape the old tank was in, we may find unexpected problems when it comes time for the actual removal and installation. Unexpected setbacks like this are common in septic tank replacements and could increase the cost of an installation.

What Type of Septic Tank Is Best for Residents in Lutz?

It can be hard to say without knowing the specifics of your property what exactly is the best septic tank for you. There are many different types of septic tanks and septic systems. By far the most common type of septic tank that we see fit for people in Lutz is concrete. We install occasional steel or plastic septic tanks, and there are situations where that may be the right choice for a homeowner’s unique situation. Concrete, though, not only boasts all the strength of steel, but will also still be strong and functioning decades after steel tanks have begun to corrode. Plastic tanks are potentially the most long-lasting of all, but can commonly give way to pressure put on them by the soil or even sometimes from stress overhead, like a vehicle driving over the ground above them. For most people in Lutz, a concrete septic tank will offer the best of both worlds, durability, and longevity, especially when immersed in the loose, poorly-draining sandy soil common in the area.

How Often Do Homeowners in Lutz Need to Have Their Septic Tank Inspected?

In Florida, there’s no legal requirement for continued inspection and maintenance of septic tanks beyond those that are required for the initial permit process. Still, just like any other part of the infrastructure of your house, septic tanks require attention and maintenance to function properly. It’s recommended that your septic tank is inspected at least every 3 years by our professionals, and you should contact us to clean it out at least every 5 years. Your septic system can cause major problems if small issues in it go unattended, and your septic tank inspection is your only way to catch those issues before they get out of control.

Are There Any Rebates Available for Septic Tank Services in Lutz? 

Unfortunately, there are currently no rebates available for septic tank services in Lutz. The USDA, however, offers several programs for improving and repairing septic systems for folks in areas with a population under 50,000. Since wastewater can be such a pressing environmental issue, the EPA also provides resources for improving septic tanks and systems in the form of grants and loans. They also keep a list of any other federal programs that can assist homeowners with investing in more sustainable wastewater solutions.